IN STYLE

The licensed preschool apparel category is one which balances the evergreen classic brands – embracing innovation in design to keep them fresh and appealing to both retailers and consumers – with new properties to the category.

It is also a category which, while it certainly has its challenges, seems to be weathering the current cost-of-living crisis pretty well.

“The Blues Group has significantly grown our licence portfolio over the last two years; baby through to adult in daywear and nightwear,” begins Ruth Golightly, sales and design director at Blues Nightwear. “We are a trusted supplier to all the UK retailers for baby and preschool products and as a consequence, this category has seen steady growth over the past few months.

“In the current climate, our customers are backing the evergreen brands and the sales have come through. Our top sellers Peppa, Bluey and PAW Patrol remain strong, as well as Peter Rabbit and Disney classics for babywear. We have also welcomed some new brands such as Pip and

Posy and are already seeing demand for this.”

Ruth names price and speed to market as two of the current challenges, while Kim Bown, director at Misirli, highlights retail space and the number of options available. “There are so many brands available fighting for space, therefore having a wide portfolio to cater for all retail needs is very important,” Kim tells PPS. “We are lucky in that the preschool sector will always be in healthy demand and is an area where consumers are happy to spend. There are a lot of new properties that are breaking through and challenging some of the classic evergreens, showing there is room for core licences and newness.”

When it comes to trends, Kim says that Misirli is seeing more requests from retailers for capsule ranges that are coordinated across the company’s product areas: “Unicorns, rainbows, sparkles, vehicles and dinosaurs remain key but reimagined to remain relevant and fresh. Family coordinated ranges continue to perform well and allow us to use brands that aren’t typical preschool brands on products for the whole family.”

Ruth agrees that retailers are looking for capsule ranges, saying that design is at the heart of this. “Softer, muted colour palettes are still relevant, however fun and vibrant ranges are popular as parents and grandparents are looking for something to brighten and lift moods,” she says. “Licences and characters that tell a story, educational theme or heart-warming feel good themes do well, such as Peppa collaborations.”

Movie Magic

For Anne Bradford, director at Poetic Brands, preschool continues to be a key area with a huge number of properties in the space. She highlights Disney’s 100th anniversary celebrations has been a strong focus for a number of retailers which usually hold DTRs, meaning a lot of space has been dedicated to this so far this year.

Anne continues: “With more movie releases this year and people heading back to the cinema, we are looking forward to Trolls as this looks like it’s going to be a fabulous film.”

Anne also highlights some challenges of the moment: “There’s less money in people’s pockets to spend and more hesitancy to spend if it is there. Hand me downs are

Award Plaudits

Taking place on 12 September at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London, The Licensing Awards 2023 will see a number of preschool apparel specialists line-up as nominees in the Best Licensed Preschool Apparel or Accessories Range.

Among these will be TDP which has received a nomination for its Disney Classic Baby Range for Character.com.

Aykroyd & Sons and Roy Lowe have been nominated for their Bluey collection, while Aykroyd & Sons has also received a nod for its PAW Patrol Aqua Pups Collection for Character.com; Vanilla Underground is lining up with its PAW Patrol 3D Apparel and Footwear; Blade & Rose is in contention for its Peter Rabbit collection; and Hunter Price International’s Peppa Pig Hair Accessories collection is also feted.

The category is rounded off with nominations for ELF Infant and Preschool Range from George @ Asda; Elmer the Patchwork Elephant SS23 Range from JoJo Maman Bébé; Paddington Collection for F&F at Tesco from Blues Group; Peanuts Collection for Primark from Blues Group; and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt for TU Clothing from Blues Group.

more prevalent and if people do buy something they want it to last so that they can do this. We always ensure that our product is great quality. If you pick it up and feel the quality you won’t want to put it down again.”

Anne continues: “I would say that the last couple of years have been pretty challenging and will continue to be so given the current economic situation and how it has affected people. However, licensing is a key part of many children’s lives. Whether playing, watching or wearing, it has a huge impact on their everyday. By driving great content and quality consumer product programmes at a time where durability and sustainability are key will be fundamental to the continued success of this sector.”

The Sustainability Plan

As with many other categories, sustainability has become a watch word within the licensed preschool apparel space.

“Our aim and ambition working with retailers is for all our cotton to be responsibly sourced and a high proportion of polyester content to be recycled, when sourcing fabrics and working with mills and factories at source this is our minimum standard,” comments Louise Harrop-Williams, production director at Blues Group. “We are working with our direct factories on their sustainability goals through platforms such as Higg and ZDHC. As a business, we are working on our own sustainability plan to reduce our impact on the environment with circularity in mind.”

Poetic Brands’ Anne adds: “[Sustainability] is incredibly important and has been a big focus within our business for some time now. Watch out for the Sustainability in Licensing Conference (8 November), when we will be sharing more of an insight into this area.”

As for aims for the remainder of 2023, Misirli’s Kim is keen to continue to build on the company’s portfolio of brands in the preschool category across nightwear, underwear and hosiery, as well as delivering further growth with its existing partners.

Meanwhile, Blues’ Ruth teases: “We have lots of exciting projects, collaborations and new brands to launch at retail, so watch this space for more news when we can reveal more details.”